At The Beginning

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: Minor sexual content.

Chapter Playlist: 'Farewell' from 'Disney's Pocahontas'.

'It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.'

- Anonymous

It had to be the most awkward moment Jane had ever known. So this beautiful, flaxen haired woman was Loki's mother?

She tried to remain indignant for Loki's sake, but as she watched the way Frigg gazed at her son, there was so much love and tenderness and anguish, that she was finding it hard to stay angry. She couldn't remember her mother well enough to know if she had ever looked at her like that.

"And this must be the Lady Jane I have heard so much about," Frigg's smile deepened, as she looked to her.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she remembered her manners. Lying excuse for a mother aside, she was still a Queen. "Jane Foster."

"It is a pleasure to meet the lady who has so entranced my son," Frigg was certainly laying on the charm, but Jane got the impression that it was perfectly sincere. Damn it, Jane, stay mad, stay mad.

She glanced up at Loki, his face hard and his eyes cold. "Now I know where you get it from," she hissed at him, and he glanced down at her in surprise. His eyes softened, and a ghost of a smile lingered at his lips.

She turned her eyes away, to see Frigg watching them intently, a slight smile on her lovely face.

"Might I speak with my son?" she asked, gently. "Alone."

Jane looked to Loki, who stiffened but nodded, and she smiled at Fandral.

"Hey, you ever had a cup of tea, Fandral?" she asked, leading the warrior into the kitchenette. "I'm pretty sure Loki would live off it if he could."

Lightly bantering with the golden-haired warrior, she led him away, and Loki led his mother out to the covered porch, where a wicker bench stood, the rain still pouring steadily outside its shelter.

"She is a rare one, your Jane," she murmured behind him. "Fierce in your defence."

"She did not say anything," he replied.

"She did not have to," Frigg explained. Loki knew what she meant; when Jane was angered, her eyes flamed like ambers shot through with fire. He faced her for one moment, coldly, his eyes like two jade shields.

"Why are you here?" he asked. Frigg sighed and looked away.

"Such mistrust," she murmured. "But perhaps I have earned it."

Inwardly surprised, he said nothing as she moved towards the wicker bench. Watching her, the woman he had loved as his mother for so long, her eyes slightly reddened, he knew, from weeping, he felt his resolve shift. He turned away.

Frigg sat down, but Loki remained standing, his arms crossed over his chest, his back to her as he looked out at the rain. It was the only thing he could do now Jane had left to steady himself.

"It is good to see you, Loki," she murmured softly. "You look well."

The walls around his heart trembled, but Loki would not yield. "That is Jane's care," he replied coolly. "I take it the All-Father sent you here?"

"I came of my own accord," was the soft answer. Loki was surprised; Frigg rarely did anything against the will of the All-Father. "I was concerned for you."

"Concerned?" Loki repeated, turning to face her, his fists clenching. "I wonder why that might be?"

Frigg sighed, looking down at her hands, her breath trembling. "I know you have discovered the truth. I am so sorry Loki," she began, before she had to pause, and he waited for her to continue. "I am so sorry, my son."

He was surprised when she launched herself into his arms, holding him close even as he stood cold and unresponsive in her embrace.

"I asked him to be honest with you from the beginning," she breathed against his chest. "Knowing, and watching you grow, troubled as you sometimes were by things you could not explain, was the hardest thing I have ever had to endure. There should be no secrets in a family. My son, please forgive me."

Loki steeled himself, gently prising his mother's hands from him. "Do you still call me son now?" he asked, as he let the illusion fade once more, and his skin turned blue, and his eyes blood red. He waited for her revulsion, her pity, her fear, and steeled his heart against more anguish.

But she did not. Frigg gently reached out and placed her hand on his cheek, smiling through her tears. "You are my son, no matter what skin you wear. You have been since the first moment I held you in my arms," she whispered.

He felt his walls crack, and he weakened enough to hold her hand to his cheek for one moment, before he allowed the Jotunn to fade and the Aesir to return to his features.

"So why did he lie?" he asked quietly. Frigg did not need to ask who he meant.

"He kept the truth from you so you would never feel different," she told him gently, echoing Jane's own assertions. "You are our son, Loki, and we your family. You must know that…"

"All I know is that I was lied to, and coddled for centuries, and fed a dream that I was equal to Thor in the All-Father's eyes," he replied coolly. "I never was."

"That is not true," Frigg retorted fiercely. "You were always Thor's equal, he acknowledged it many times. Your father loves you, Loki, as I do. We want you to come home."

"Ahh, so that is it. The All-Father wants his pet back-" he began bitterly, chuckling darkly, but Frigg thumped him on the shoulder first. Stunned, he watched her wide-eyed, as his usually demure and serene mother stood before him with flames in her eyes.

"I do not wish to hear such poisonous words from your mouth again, Loki Odinson!" she snapped. "They are as untrue as they are bitter. We want you home because you are our son, and Asgard is your home, and it needs you. You are the heir to the throne now-"

Her voice broke when she said heir, and he forced himself to remember that she had lost her trueborn son only days before. He forced his temper into abeyance, as she stepped close.

"I love you my son. I have lost one child, do not make me lose another," she pleaded softly, tears welling in her azure eyes. He felt his strength wane, and suddenly he was simply too tired to maintain his resentment any longer.

"Things cannot be as they were," he murmured quietly, as hope lit in Frigg's eyes. "But I do love you…mother."

Wordlessly, she reached out to him again, and he went into her embrace willingly, her lips pressed against his forehead.

Jane and Fandral tried not to crane their necks out the kitchen window, they really did. But curiosity was a trait they shared it seemed, after the kettle had boiled, and the temptation became too much. They looked out just as Frigg hit her son.

Fandral winced sympathetically.

When they saw Loki and Frigg willingly embrace, both breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am glad of it, Lady Jane," he murmured, sitting back down at the scrubbed wooden kitchen table, a mug cradled in his hands. "Asgard is sorely in need of her Prince now."

"I am just glad he could forgive his mother," Jane looked into her mug. "He's lucky he has parents who love him."

"Aye," the golden-haired warrior smiled slightly. "Have you spoken with Darcy recently?"

"Just a few days ago," she replied with a sly smile. "She misses you."

"Well, I might visit her while I am here," he muttered. "Is she near?"

"I could ask her to come pick you up?" Jane offered, already reaching for the phone. She had to hold the phone away from her ear a couple of times when she told Darcy Fandral was there, but the chattering soon died away and she told her she would be there in a few minutes. "She's coming," she told him warningly, with a smile. "Hope you're ready."

Fandral did not know whether to gulp or to smile.

Just then Frigg and Loki came back into the cabin, both more relaxed than they had left it. Jane smiled, happy that Loki was at least on the road to reconciliation with his mother. He needed her, now more than ever.

"Will you be staying with us, Your Majesty?" she asked, as Frigg sat down at the kitchen table, and Loki passed her a mug of tea.

"If it does not inconvenience you, my dear," the Queen murmured kindly. "And please call me Frigg, my dear Jane."

"Not at all…Frigg," Jane replied stiltedly. Now this was most definitely awkward. At least there was a guest room, if a bit small.

Loki watched the interaction between his mother and his lover with a slight smirk, as Jane eyed him narrowly. Frigg followed her gaze and lightly thumped his leg.

"Stop smirking," she told him imperiously, surprising Jane and making her laugh. Frigg's eyes were twinkling when they turned back to Jane. "He thinks he is so good at hiding things, but that smirk always gives him away."

"Thanks for the warning."

Loki's smirk faded, as Fandral's eyes glinted amusedly. "You're outnumbered, my friend," he called lightly. "Good luck."

Suddenly there came a hooting noise outside, and all four went outside to see Darcy roll up in a borrowed SHIELD SUV. Her smile was wide enough to swallow a banana when she saw Fandral.

"I will return by tomorrow morning, my Queen," he bowed to Frigg, before he, Loki and Jane went to the car, Frigg staying by the door to watch them with a soft, sad smile on her lips.

Darcy's eyes curiously went to Frigg, then to Jane questioningly. "Loki's mom," she muttered in explanation, as her friend's eyes went wide.

"Seriously? Talk about MILF," Darcy muttered. "Well, not me personally. Anyway good luck to you. Meeting the in-laws, eugh!"

Darcy mock-shuddered, and Jane shook her head at her friend's silliness.

While Jane and Darcy talked, Fandral paused by his friend's side. Loki watched him carefully for signs that he knew of Loki's true birth, but he gave none. Frigg had told him they had decided to keep the revelation strictly between him, the All-Father and her, but Fandral wasn't stupid. Well, at least, not all the time.

"Do you know why I came here? Why mother came here?" he asked him lightly. The rain had stopped thankfully, and they stood under a damp canopy of trees. Fandral stepped forward, his eyes meeting Loki's, and he indeed glimpsed some hint of suspicion in there, before it dissolved into brotherly warmth.

"I do not know and I need not know," the warrior replied steadily. "You are my friend, my Prince, and soon to be my King. That is all that is needed."

Loki clasped his wrist in the traditional warrior's goodbye, and Fandral did the same, gratitude rising in Loki's still healing heart. But with every word, every gesture, every encounter, from Jane, from his mother, from Fandral; it was healing.

But soon he would need to return to Asgard. He had responsibilities there, despite all he had discovered, and soon he would have to make a choice between two paths. He could reject it, and those that needed him to stay on Earth, or accept it and build a new world, a new path, a new future for himself as King.

His gaze fell on Jane, and he frowned.

After Darcy and Fandral had left, Jane made pasta for all three of them. While she was chopping up salad in the kitchen while the pasta simmered in water, she turned to find Frigg beside her, a gentle smile on her face.

"May I help?"

Jane would later describe it as one of the most surreal experiences of her life. Chopping up onions and lettuce with a Goddess of Legend.

"You are good for my son," she suddenly said, after they had been chopping quietly for a few minutes. Loki was somewhere in the cabin, but Jane wasn't sure where. She glanced swiftly at her companion. Frigg smiled. "I do not have quite the power of Heimdall, but I may watch those I care for. I have seen from afar how he smiles and laughs with you. You are good for him."

"No offence, Frigg," she murmured, turning to the older woman firmly. "But as nice as it is to offer your blessing, I don't need your approval to love your son."

"Well said," Frigg replied, with a slight smile. "I do not blame you for your hostility, Jane. I know the wrong I have done my son, and I am sorry for it. I thank you with all my heart for the solace you gave him, and I hope we may have more felicitous relations in future. I don't doubt I will soon call you daughter."

Jane looked down. "We'll see," she mumbled, watching her hand as it held the knife, slicing through the thin white skin of the onions.

"You do not wish to marry my son?" Frigg asked gently. Jane looked up, startled.

"No, I do!" she blurted out. "It's just…ever since Loki awakened my magic, I've seen how much easier everything could be if I used it to help. I suck at fighting with it, but I can heal, and there are others thing I can help with. Things are so messed up right now, that I just…feel…-"

"You feel you have responsibilities here, on Earth," Frigg finished for her, understandingly.

"Don't get me wrong, I want to be with Loki. I love him so much that it frightens me sometimes," Jane explained hurriedly, tipping the onions into the pan, starting on the sauce. "But I can't leave, not yet."

Suddenly she heard the sound of a door slamming, and she jumped. Her face paled, as she spun around and realised Loki must have been listening at the door. How much had he heard?

"No," she breathed. What if he thought she was refusing him indefinitely? Not that he actually asked, more like told her they would marry, but…

All her work building him up again might be undone. She started forward, but Frigg gently held her back.

"No, allow me," she said soothingly. "I will disavow my son of whatever silly notion he has got into his head. Do not fear."

Jane watched Frigg go, wondering if she had just messed things up for good, when they had been going so well.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she hissed to herself, under her breath, fisting her hands and pressing them to her eyes to stop the tears from falling. She summoned her magic, something she hadn't done for awhile, and she cautiously felt around for Loki. He was outside, with Frigg.

She could only hope he listened.

Loki stared out at the forest, now a shifting mass of blacks and silvery greens, and forced air into the band around his lungs. He felt like he couldn't breathe, like his heart was about to burst again when it had so nearly become whole once more.

She wanted to stay on Earth. She didn't want to be with him, she didn't….

He sat down heavily on the bench, and hid his head in his hands. He inhaled deeply of the scents of pines and evergreens, and forced himself to think.

To recall exactly what Jane had said in conversation with his mother. It hadn't been planned, nor conscious.

"She did not say never, Loki," his mother's soft voice penetrated the turmoil inside him, as soft hands slid over his own. He opened his eyes, to meet hers, and looked down. Frigg smiled ruefully and shook her head. "You have always reacted with haste when matters touch your heart most deeply. Your brother's influence, I think."

His lips quirked. "Thor never did think things through before acting," he murmured. Frigg nodded.

"And now you must do so too. She did not say never, my son, just not yet," she told him soothingly. "You were raised a Prince of Asgard. Even if you were not to ascend the throne, you would have played a part in the running of the kingdom. A significant part. You already advised your brother in matters of State before you left for Midgard. You know the burden that your position and power has brought you: responsibility."

"Jane may not be royalty, but now she has power, she feels that burden towards her home, as you do towards Asgard. It is that concern which will make her a truly great Queen," Frigg continued. "She loves you Loki, fiercely, completely and it warms my heart to see it so. But you ask much; to ask her to become your Princess is burden enough. To ask her to become your Queen is great, even for one as extraordinary as her."

"I know," Loki sighed. "I overreacted somewhat. Forgive me."

"It is understandable," she smiled. "And in truth this may well work to our advantage. You know that, as the future King, there will be some resistance in the court to the idea of a Midgardian Queen."

Loki felt anger rise at that, but he forced himself to calm. He knew it, but the idea had floated to the back of his mind with all that had happened. The resentment would have been bad enough as his Princess. If Jane were to become his Queen, it could spill over into hatred.

"There have already been stirrings from various factions at court. Vanaheim and Nornheim have expressed interests in an alliance with Asgard through marriage. You know the candidates…"

Loki shuddered. He did all too well. The Ladies Sigyn and Angrboda, and possibly even Queen Karnilla. All powerful women with powerful families.

"A wedding could not be held within a year because of Thor's death, and the Bifrost, among others things, requires repair. You and Jane are rather alike in that regard," Frigg smiled wryly. "Use that time, Loki. Declare your betrothal, and make sure that Asgard is acquainted with the goodness, wisdom and courage of your chosen Bride before she comes, so the resentment will be restrained to a few discontent courtiers."

Loki had to admit that his mother was right. He hadn't been thinking, like his brother frustratingly enough, and he had forgotten. He needed to make sure that Asgard loved Jane as much as he before asking her to forsake her life on Earth.

"Now go inside and apologise to your future wife," Frigg told him firmly. "You gave her rather a scare. Also actually asking her might not go amiss…"

Loki stared at her, and she shook her head ruefully, golden curls bouncing. "Men. You're just like your father," she muttered airily.

Loki chuckled, and pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek before venturing back inside. Jane was sat at the kitchen table, head in hands, and he cursed himself for his lack of patience. No doubt she thought she had wounded him, and she had at first, until Frigg's calming words had penetrated his inner turmoil. He was still so guarded, and since Jane was within those guards, she could do perhaps the most damage of all.

"Jane," he breathed her name, and she looked up hopefully. Her eyes searched his face, before she shot into his arms.

"God, Loki, I'm sorry!" she cried against his chest. "I didn't mean-I don't-"

"Hush, my love," he whispered in her ear, holding her to him tightly, his cheek cushioned on her hair. "I know. We will talk later."

He raised her head, smiling slightly to let her know it was alright, and then bent his head and kissed her softly. She returned it with a sweet passion that always allured and enticed him, and he almost forgot that his mother was not far away. An acrid smell reached his nose, and he frowned as he drew back.

"Is that something burning?" he asked. Jane's eyes widened as she whipped around and rushed to the stove frantically. Loki fought to hide his laughter at the sight, his world momentarily right again.

That night, after making sure his mother was settled in the spare room, Loki took a deep breath before entering the room that had become so very much theirs. He needed to talk to her frankly.

When he entered, Jane was already in bed, her hair down around her shoulders in a soft, shining halo in the dim lamplight. He mentally ground his teeth at the sight of her beloved sweats above the sheet. He was determined to burn them at the first chance he got.

He stripped away his shirt, Jane's eyes widening in anticipation, as they always did, before he stalked towards her. He sat on the bed, on her side, taking her hand. He caught her gaze, puzzled now and wary, before pressing a kiss to her hand, as he done once, so long ago it felt, in the deserts of New Mexico when they first met.

"Jane Foster, I love you. Marry me?" he asked. Jane looked down, but he was prepared for that. "I am not asking you to leave. I am asking if you will marry me."

Jane's head shot up, and relief and joy so radiant that her eyes blazed with it, and she smiled. "Yes. Yes I will," she breathed. Loki smiled, leaning in and kissing her heatedly. Jane's hands settled on his shoulders, pulling him closer, but he forced himself away before he lost control.

"Wait, sweetheart," he whispered. "There are still things we must discuss. Tomorrow, I have to return to Asgard."

Jane's eyes widened, but she just nodded.

"As you said, little has changed in reality. I am still a Prince of Asgard, and soon, a King. The Realm is fractured, broken, and I must help my…father to fix it. What is more, travel between Realms will not be safe until the Bifrost is repaired."

"I understand," Jane murmured, her heart aching at the thought of being away from him for so long, but she understood the reasoning. He had responsibilities too. "How long?"

"We cannot marry until the mourning period for Thor is ended," he told her gravely. "A year at most."

Jane nodded. A year would allow her to do some good, even if it meant such a long separation. She met his gaze, his beloved eyes gleaming like polished jade in the dim light, and she stroked his cheek. "You do understand why I cannot just up and leave with you? Being with you, loving you, having the promise of forever with you is like a fairytale. I can't just leave here to some happy ever after with you, while Earth is still in such a state. I can help."

This Cinderella still had some cleaning up to do before she let her Prince sweep her away.

"I know, Jane," Loki smiled sadly. "I could not have expected otherwise. I overreacted tonight, and I apologise for it. The thought of being away from you…"

"We'll manage," Jane murmured reassuringly. "If we can't do this, then we might not work at all."

Loki inclined his head. "I will miss you."

Jane's eyes flashed, and then she lunged forward, into his arms, pressing her lips to his. His arms closed around her like a trap, straining her to him, but Jane had no desire to be set free.

A year apart. Well, if she hadn't been determined before, she was twice as much now, to make up for the time they would spend apart.

The next morning, Jane awoke to find Loki already up, sliding on the leather coat he wore over his tunics. Sighing, wishing they had more time, she rose too, draping a sheet around herself and hugging him from behind. His hands held hers against his chest, and he sighed before turning in her embrace. Absentmindedly, Jane readjusted a long belt that draped one shoulder.

Their lips met and clung, as Jane's heart thundered in her ears. It felt odd seeing him back in his armour, and it suddenly felt so very real. He was leaving, she was staying behind, they wouldn't see each other for months…

Jane clenched her jaw against the urge to tell him she was coming. No, she had to do this. Her last service to her planet, then she could leave with a clear conscience.

She had to do this.

The sound of the SUV pulling up outside forced them apart, and Jane dressed in silence.

Frigg awaited them outside, as Fandral hopped from the passenger door, and Darcy got out, suspiciously teary-eyed. Loki surmised that something was amiss.

As the three women talked quietly for a moment, Loki drew Fandral aside.

"I asked her to marry me!" the golden-haired warrior muttered. "She said she couldn't leave, especially not if Jane was staying behind to help. Why do women have to be so damned stubborn?"

"I understand, my friend," Loki sighed, his gaze travelling to his betrothed. Fandral frowned.

"Then Jane is staying? Has she rejected your suit?" he asked quietly.

"No, she has accepted. But she feels she cannot leave either, while Earth is still in such turmoil," Loki explained. "And in truth, the year it will take to repair the Bifrost and the Realm might be useful in accustoming the Realm to their future, Midgardian, Queen."

Understanding gleamed in Fandral's eyes, and he nodded, clapping Loki on the shoulder in commiseration. "Then we are in the same boat, as Darcy would say."

"We will return," Loki replied, firmly, as if making a vow. Fandral's eyes rested on his lover, and he nodded.

"Aye, we will."

"Loki," Frigg called. "It is time."

Taking a deep breath, he stepped away from Fandral and towards Jane, who came into his arms and held him tightly. He felt tears against his neck, and forced back his own.

He would be strong for the both of them.

"Thank you, Jane, for everything you have done for me this past week. Because of you, I return to Asgard stronger," he told her in a heated whisper. Jane raised her head, her eyes shining with tears and a burning love that touched Loki's heart.

"A King," she said insistently. "I love you."

"As I love you, my sweetheart, my little mortal. Always will," he told her, kissing her tenderly. Unlike their passion last night, that had been frantic and urgent, fuelled by desperation, this was slow and thorough, Loki relishing the taste of his betrothed's lips for the last time.

But not forever. He reminded himself of that.

Reluctantly he stepped back, offering his arm to his mother. Darcy came to Jane's side, clasping her hand, and Loki was grateful for her companionship. She eyed Fandral, then raised her hand in a cheery salute.

"I'll see you two soon," she told them pointedly. Jane just smiled, as Fandral stepped close to Loki, taking hold of his bracer. Taking a deep breath, Loki called on the power of the tesseract, lain dormant for weeks, and allowed it to pull him back to Asgard.

As the world faded around them, he focussed on Jane's beloved hazel eyes, and smiled. He would return for her, they would rebuild their Realms, and then they would have eternity.

He would never let her go again.

A promise, although silent, that nevertheless shone in Jane's eyes and burned in Loki's mind.

He would return.

A/N: I know Angrboda was in fact a Jotunn, but considering that Jotunheim has just played a major part in invading Earth and Asgard, I doubt they would be sending possible bridal candidates to Asgard for alliance. So I'm claiming artistic licence and pretending she's from Vanaheim.